Leave marriage decision to states

If we believe what President Bush said on Tuesday, the government has reason to be concerned about marriage between two men or two women because it will weaken "the good influence of society." It is hard to understand how granting rights to a specific group of citizens will weaken the good influence of the tolerant American society. As a matter of fact, historically it has been the opposite that has strengthened American society. Until the Supreme Court struck down anti-miscegenation laws in 1967, 16 states still made marriage between people of different races illegal. Is American society any worse off because we now permit people of any skin color to marry? Will America be worse off because we permit people of any sexual orientation to marry?

President Bush said "the voice of the people must be heard," but the voice of the people is undecided. According to the Gallup polling organization, 51 percent of Americans join President Bush in believing that an amendment to ban gay marriage is necessary. Forty-five percent of Americans oppose this amendment. This is not a decisive majority. At one point in American history, the percentages supporting anti-miscegenation laws were quite similar. Does this mean that it was right to make it illegal for a person with black skin to marry a person with white skin?

Although he referred to former President Bill Clinton in the first sentence of the speech on Tuesday, President Bush is not at all on the same page as his democratic predecessor, or even in the same book. President Clinton signed a bill known as the Defense of Marriage Act, introduced by Senator Bob Barr (R-GA). This bill states that a marriage in one state does not have to be recognized in another, and it loosely defines "marriage" for the purpose of determining federal benefits. So far it has been ratified by 38 states. Senator Bob Barr stated his opposition to any federal interference in the specific definition of marriage in an Aug. 21, 2003 opinion in the Washington Post. "Marriage is a quintessential state issue," he said. By attempting to rigidly define marriage from the national level, President Bush will be acting exactly like the "activist judges" he denounced Tuesday, but from the other side of the spectrum.

The cultural debates that Americans deal with today should not be decided by the federal government. If the government should interfere at any level, let the states decide. The President should focus on winning the peace in Iraq, balancing the budget, maintaining and improving our public school system, and supporting our aging population.